Pakistan seal crushing victoryPaarl, S Africa, February 25Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq experienced contrasting fortunes as Pakistan cruised to a 97-run victory over the Netherlands in World Cup group A today.Akram became the first player in history
to take 500 one-day international wickets, but Inzamam's miserable World
Cup continued when he was out for a second-ball duck.

Pakistan's Taufiq Umer (C) is run out by Holland's Jacob-Jan Esmeijer (L) in Paarl, South Africa, on Tuesday.
— Reuters photo

Akram crosses 500-wkt markPaarl, February 25Pakistan’s Wasim Akram crossed yet another milestone in his
illustrious career when he became the first player to take 500 wickets in the history of one-day cricket.
Akram achieved the distinction when he took the wicket of Nick Statham of Holland in Pakistan’s World Cup match here today.

Wasim Akram holds up a 500 sign
after Pakistan's match against Holland in Paarl, South Africa,
on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

India, England eye Super Six berthDurban, February 25With emphatic wins in their previous matches, resurgent India and England lock horns in a battle-royale in a day-night encounter tomorrow knowing well that the winner of the game gets into the Super Six round of the World Cup.
England will be virtually through to the next round if they subdue India
in their penultimate league game.

DIARY OF THE WEEKGanguly has life back
in his eyesDurban, February 25Is the Indian team beginning to turn round the corner? One would never know till the games against England and Pakistan are past us. But if sport is all about self-belief, Indians had a huge lift to their morale after the batting drums worked up great noise against Namibia on
Sunday.

Indian players jog during a practice session in
Durban on Tuesday. India take on England on Wednesday. — Reuters
photo

Ganguly’s form biggest gain The victory against Namibia was easy and expected, yet
this was just the work-out needed before the two big games, against
England and Pakistan. It was good to see that the form showed against
Zimbabwe had not been left behind in Harare, and that the players were
not willing to take it easy. In a tournament of this nature, it is
important that the winning rhythm is sustained.

Time for England to avenge past lossesThe last few encounters between India and England have been breathtaking affairs, showcasing what both teams are capable of when they are playing their best cricket.

Sachin big threat to EnglandDurban, February 25Sachin Tendulkar looms as the biggest threat to England ahead of what promises to be a thrilling encounter at Kingsmead tomorrow.
England is hoping to win the toss and bat first rather than allow Tendulkar to dazzle in daylight and smash some more records to India’s benefit.

The toughest test: Hussain
Durban, February 25England skipper Nasser Hussain today said his team would face its first real test of this World Cup when it takes on India in a crucial league game here tomorrow.Having registered a sensational victory against Pakistan in the previous game, England are obviously pumped up but Hussain said the match against India would be the toughest the team had come up in this tournament so far.

England captain Nasser Hussain laughs during a training session at the Kingsmead Stadium in
Durban
on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

New Zealand ‘leaving nothing to chance’Kimberley, February 25New Zealand resume their World Cup campaign tomorrow against Bangladesh here after enduring an embarrassing break from action that involved a brawl in a night club.

USPresident
Bush holds a volleyball presented to him by Lauren Killian of the University of Southern California women's volleyball
team in an event with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
at the East Room of the White House
on Monday. — AP/PTI

First 15 overs may decide winnerIn the 1996 World Cup Sri Lanka devised the tactic of an all out onslaught when batting in the first fifteen overs. They did so to such good effect that although a few other teams copied them Sri Lanka still ultimately became world champions.
In the 1999 tournament the tactic was rarely successful on the livelier English pitches and wickets-in-hand became the catch cry for sides in that World Cup. In the 2003 tournament the first fifteen overs will again be a crucial time but don’t expect the batsmen to have matters all their own way.

Donald’s form South Africa’s main worryEast London, February 25The form of fast bowler Allan Donald remains South Africa’s biggest concern as they prepare for their group B game against World Cup minnows Canada on Thursday. Despite calls by Donald and his supporters that he be given as many opportunities as possible to prove himself in match conditions, the bowler was dropped from the team that beat Bangladesh at his home ground in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Video

Leg spinner Collins Obuya produces the spell of his life as Kenya
pull off one of the great cricket World Cup shocks against Sri Lanka.(28k,
56k)

East Bengal outplay BaganKolkata, February 25Soccer giants East Bengal crossed the biggest hurdle on their way to the oil-PSU National Football League
title as they defeated arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 2-1 in a nail-biting match at the Salt Lake Stadium here today.

Randhir appointed to WADANew Delhi, February 25Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Raja Randhir Singh has been appointed to the important World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board by president of the Association of National Olympic Committees Mario Vazquez Rana.

Sweden's Per Elofsson skis during the Men's 4x10km Team Relay event at the Nordic Skiing World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy,
on Tuesday. Norway won the gold medal ahead of Germany and Sweden.
— Reuters

Paarl, February 25
Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq experienced contrasting fortunes as Pakistan cruised to a 97-run victory over the Netherlands in World Cup group A today.Akram became the first player in history to take 500 one-day international wickets, but Inzamam's miserable World Cup continued when he was out for a second-ball duck.

Pakistan, desperate for a good performance after their crushing upset defeat by England, produced another unconvincing batting display in a total of 253 for nine, but their bowlers were more impressive as they routed the Dutch for 156 to keep their hopes of reaching the Super Sixes alive.

It was Akram's day, the 36-year-old left-arm fast bowler reaching his milestone when he forced Dutch opener Nick Statham to play a typically venomous inswinger on to his stumps.

He later had Klaas Jan van Noortwijk caught by wicketkeeper Rashid Latif and finished the match by trapping Jeroen Smits lbw to complete figures of three for 24.

Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq were also among the wickets as the Dutchmen struggled, Daan van Bunge top-scoring with 31 including a six and three fours. There were also 40 extras.

The fourth most prolific run-scorer in one-day international history lasted one ball longer than he did against England on Saturday before being trapped lbw by Dutch medium-pacer Tim de Leede.

Inzamam's tally for the tournament remained at 10 runs from four innings.

Pakistan began steadily enough, Saeed Anwar and Umar sharing an opening partnership of 61 before Anwar drove rashly at a wide ball from De Leede and gave Jacob Jan Esmeijer a high catch at backward point.

Wickets then fell steadily to the disciplined Dutch attack and it needed a steadying innings from Youhana to lift Pakistan to a respectable total.

Umer, recalled in place of Shahid Afridi, looked to be heading for his first World Cup fifty before he was run out.

Inzamam departed almost immediately but Razzaq, promoted up the order, played a few fluent attacking strokes before edging spinner Daan van Bunge to wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits.

Yousuf Youhana attempted to hold the innings together but he soon lost Saleem Elahi, who inexplicably drove a Van Bunge full toss straight to Bas Zuiderent at extra cover.

Youhana and Rashid Latif added 39 for the sixth wicket, a partnership that ended when Latif skied Edgar Schiferli to Van Bunge at mid-off.

Wasim Akram was then run out in farcical circumstances, setting off blind for a non-existent single as Youhana looked on in disbelief.

Shoaib Akhtar, promoted from his usual No 11 following his quickfire 43 against England, struck a huge six off Henk Jan Mol, but Lefebvre returned to the attack to bowl Youhana.

Waqar Younis gave a simple return catch to Mol, and it was left to Shoaib to plunder a few late runs as he finished unbeaten on 26.

Pakistan, fifth in group A, lost to Australia in their opening match of the tournament and must beat the Netherlands to maintain any hope of reaching the super sixes.

Paarl, February 25
Pakistan’s Wasim Akram crossed yet another milestone in his illustrious
career when he became the first player to take 500 wickets in the history of one-day cricket.
Akram achieved the distinction when he took the wicket of Nick Statham of Holland in Pakistan’s World Cup match here today.

Coming into the match just one wicket short of the feat, the left-arm seamer, who opened the bowling today, castled Statham for nought in the first ball of his second over.

Akram, also an attacking bat lower-down the order, has played more one-dayers than any other players in the history of the game wearing the green cap for the his country 354 times. He is also way ahead of other leading wicket takers in world cricket, with his captain Waqar Younis a distant second with 413 wickets from 300 matches.

Besides taking four wickets in a match 17 times, Akram has taken five wickets in a one-dayer six times at an excellent average of 23.52.

His best performance of 5 for 15 came against Zimbabwe in Karachi in 1993-94.

The inspirational bowler, who played a major role in Pakistan’s only World Cup triumph in Australia 11 years back, is also the leading Test bowler for his country scalping 414 wickets from 104 matches at an average of 23.62.
PTI

Durban, February 25
With emphatic wins in their previous matches, resurgent India and England lock horns in a battle-royale in a day-night encounter tomorrow knowing well that the winner of the game gets into the Super Six round of the World Cup.

England, currently placed second with three wins (12 points) from four games, will be virtually through to the next round if they subdue India in their penultimate league game.

India, also with three wins out of four games, need a win against England or Pakistan on March 1, to make it to the next round. If they do reach the Super Six stage it will exactly be the excuse the nation needs to come to a standstill on account of cricket fever.

India’s batting has begun to bloom to its original pink and a 300-plus total against Namibia the other day should inspire its celebrated line-up to still better deeds.

Indian batsmen had completely dominated England attack in the Tests and one-dayers in an away series last summer with batsmen after batsmen piling runs by hundreds.

Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag hit no less than six hundreds between them in the four-Test series and when the final of the NatWest one-day series beckoned, youngsters Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif climbed the mountain of 326 runs effortlessly.

The England bowling is still more or less the same except for the introduction of James Anderson, who in a little matter of three months, has grabbed headlines with his penetrative pace bowling.

Anderson first shot into limelight in the triangular series in Australia with 13 wickets from nine games, generating uncomfortable pace and hustling the best of batsmen.

He had a modest game against Namibia at the start of this World Cup but was virtually unplayable against Pakistan, annihilating a classy middle order to return figures of 4 for 29 in his 10 overs.

Indian coach John Wright, however, said his team’s batting had enough firepower in it to dominate the likes of Anderson.

“We haven’t seen a lot of Anderson but he had a good night the other day,” Wright said. “But we have got one or two players who can put the best of bowlers under pressure.”

Anderson’s hot pace is well-complimented by Andrew Caddick at the other end whose pace and bounce restricts scoring to a trickle. Craig White and Andrew Flintoff are useful back up bowlers of different styles. While White keeps a nagging length and is a classy exponent of reverse swing with the old ball, Flintoff is extremely aggressive and likes to pin batsmen on the backfoot.
PTI

India and England’s run in this tournament has been on similar lines. While the Zimbabwean boycott had English skipper Nasser Hussain almost calling quits, the Aussie whitewash had people back home baying for Saurav’s head. Then the matches against Holland and Namibia only earned brickbats for Ganguly and Hussain respectively, courtesy the manner in which their team went about in collecting four points.

However, since then the smiles are back for both men. India had scripted two big victories while England had, only a couple of days ago, tore Pakistan to shreds. To cap it all, today’s day night encounter is a must win situation for both to get a step closer to Super Six. Doesn’t all this make up for an interesting match?

India’s biggest worry, coming into this tournament had been their batting but the match against Namibia was just the tonic prescribed by the doctors to get them back in form. Sachin and Saurav’s hundreds have brought a huge relief to the Indian camp. However, one should not get too carried away with that knock.

Though Saurav gave an exemplary display of concentration and big hitting abilities, the English attack would be more probing, intimidating and it will be an all new test for the Indian captain. Confidence, which the left hander now has in plenty, might make the much needed difference in taking on that attack. Sachin, on the other hand has been riding on a high in this tournament so far and he has to once again lead the batting charge from the front.

Virender Sehwag, who is not in the best of form, according to me, will be the key factor in the match. He has the ability to destroy the line and length of any bowler and especially in conditions like the one in Kinsmead, where the ball jags around a lot, his special qualities would be doing a huge favour to Sachin and Saurav. If Sehwag can get into the act, even if for 6-7 overs, I would say India will enjoy the upper hand throughout, which can allow Sachin and others in line some time to get their bearings.

Dravid, again will be crucial to middle order putting a good resistance and he needs to draw all his experience to guide Kaif, Yuvraj and Mongia in a sensible direction. However, the million dollar question is— Will kumble be in the playing eleven against England? On one hand, English’s inability against spin is an open secret while on the other side, the wicket is traditionally suited to seamers. Ajit Agarkar, who is tipped to enter the side on Wednesday would be rusty and India would be taking a huge risk in this context. In fact, the team management could have given a look in to Agarkar and Bangar in earlier matches in this tour to avoid facing such situation.

England will realise that Indians have always been suspect customers against seam bowling and would be thinking on those lines. Anderson, no doubt would be in thick of the action if England needs to make a dent on Indian chances. Batting wise, the openers have been a bit scratchy. Threscothick and Knight have not set the tournament blazing and it’s time they come out with one such act. Toss will have a major influence on the result. The windy evenings permit a bit more lateral movement to the white ball while ‘no dew factor’ is another advantage in fielding second. Both teams are evenly matched in terms of batting and bowling and what more should I say except — let the best team win.

Durban, February 25
Is the Indian team beginning to turn round the corner? One would never know till the games against England and Pakistan are past us. But if sport is all about self-belief, Indians had a huge lift to their morale after the batting drums worked up great noise against Namibia on Sunday.

There is still a question mark on most of the batsmen. Virender Sehwag (70 runs), Rahul Dravid (61), Dinesh Mongia (67), Yuvraj Singh (45) and Mohammad Kaif (35) are still keeping everyone worried. Sehwag has got starts but has suffered some horrendous dismissals. All will be forgiven if they pull up their socks at this critical hour of performance.

Sehwag, Mongia and Yuvraj were at the nets at Kingsmead within an hour on arrival in Durban on Monday. Sehwag struck some lusty blows against Anil Kumble and showed an impish sense of humour when in the middle of a John Wright press conference, walked behind the coach and shouted “Thank you, coach!”. As Wright begun to take his leave, he suddenly realized “Veeru” had pulled a prank on him. Even mediapersons, unusually stressed in this competition, couldn’t resist a guffaw.

Most of the youngsters are on their own and one suspects seniors haven’t played the role of big brothers. Anyone can tell number five, six or seven are no batting slots in one-day cricket. As Yuvraj had so succulently put it! “You are more liable to fail than succeed lower down the order.” With their young careers hanging by the thread, the youngsters are beginning to show creases on their faces.

It is ironic how the big guns want to occupy the opener’s slot in one-day cricket. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly crave opener’s role and puritan sentiments such as all-for-team’s-cause are a load of rubbish. When it comes to Test cricket, these very men don’t bait an eyelid in asking Deep Dasguptas, Sameer Dighes and even 17-year-old Parthiv Patels to open the innings. You can’t help but agree when youngsters murmur some disquiet in private. After all, their careers could be nipped in bud before it starts to bloom.

Ganguly, meanwhile, has life back in his eyes after the hundred against Namibia. He is a bit emotional after the knock in his magnificent abode at team hotel Golden Horse in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday night. He is crowded by journalists from Bengal-everyone falling over each other to sing songs in praise of Indian captain-and shares his ambition to score at least 30 one-day hundreds before his career is over. He has struck 20 hundreds so far-which implies he still feels one third of his career is ahead of him. Ganguly has more lives than nine of a cat and nobody is rushing to write off the Bengal icon yet.

On Monday evening, the boys have a bit of a horse play in the beach overlooking their hotel. The North boys, try to pull each other in water before Harbhajan finds everyone ganged against him. Soon the likeable “Bhajji” is lifted off his feet and dumped into the crashing waves of the roaring Indian ocean. Everyone has a great laugh as photographers clicked away merrily.

Indians are put up at this five star hotel whenever they are in Durban and it’s no different this time around. Even the youngsters are familiar with this place, given the fact they spent the lead-up days to World Cup at this sprawling port city. A home away from home, Durban should inspire the Indians to get back into groove in 2003 World Cup.

The victory against Namibia was easy and expected, yet
this was just the work-out needed before the two big games, against
England and Pakistan. It was good to see that the form showed against
Zimbabwe had not been left behind in Harare, and that the players were
not willing to take it easy. In a tournament of this nature, it is
important that the winning rhythm is sustained.

Sachin Tendulkar once
again affirmed his importance to the side with a big hundred, his 34th
in limited overs internationals. Even though he is short of being at
his fluent best, playing in the World Cup arena has got Tendulkar’s
adrenalin flowing again. This is just the kind of spur great players
need, and his return to form is the most positive outcome of the four
matches that India have played in as yet.

The big gain from this
match was Sourav Ganguly getting his 20th hundred, and more
importantly, spending a long time in the middle. He started
tentatively, but by the end of the innings was batting with far
greater authority than in the past six months. This innings will have
done his confidence a world of good, apart from raising the morale of
the side. Moreover, it will have convinced him that he can play a very
important role even batting down the order. India do not have too many
players who can clear the field. Ganguly is a wonderful striker and
can play a decisive role in the slog overs too.

My only
disappointment was that the think-tank did not give the bench players
a go in the match against Namibia. Kumble and Agarkar should have
played if only to keep their motivation intact. Playing seven batsmen
against Namibia was exaggerated concern. Moreover, it limited the
options against England who have shown that they have the arsenal to
go all the way in this tournament.

Their performance against Pakistan
may have surprised many, but not me. I always thought they were the
dark horses in this tournament. They are hard to beat because they
have played some tough cricket in Australia before coming here. They
missed Flintoff in Australia, but he looks fit and hungry now. The
return of Hussain also makes a big difference because he has been at
the helm for some time now and knows his players best. Anderson,
getting late swing at high speed, is turning out to be the danger
bowler of the World Cup.

The toss could be crucial because at
Kingsmead, teams batting first appear to have the advantage. But it
will be a test of nerves for both teams. India must aim to win to
eliminate the suspense about qualifying for the Super Six. Gameplan

The last few encounters between India and England have been breathtaking affairs, showcasing what both teams are capable of when they are playing their best cricket. This time, they meet at Durban, where both teams will be eager to book a place in the super six without leaving things for their last games. Interestingly, both India and England will travel from Durban to meet arch-rivals Pakistan and Australia, respectively. Those will be huge games, and a win at Durban will give them the confidence required to play against your traditional rivals.

England captain Nasser Hussain (C) talks to teammates
during a training session at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban
on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

This is the second day-night game that England will be playing, and once again, the toss will be important. I have no doubt that whoever wins it will want to exploit the dew and swing under lights. I was a little perturbed by the comments of some experts that suggested that England’s fine win against Pakistan at Cape Town was due to the toss rather than James Anderson’s fine efforts. Bowling under lights is a big advantage in South Africa, but the bowler has to still hit the right spot to exploit conditions. Moreover, Pakistan’s top batsmen Inzamam and Youhana were done in by two splendid away-swingers that were the result of fine bowling and not just helpful conditions.

At Durban, England will be aware that unlike the Pakistanis, the Indian batsmen have slowly come back into form after a poor start to the tournament. They will know that Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid will be the men to target, but the NatWest finals will remind them that the others can be
match winners as well. It is to England’s advantage that while both teams have seen a lot of each other over the last 12 months, the Indians will find Anderson to be an unknown quantity. The youngster holds the key to England’s fortunes tomorrow. If he can bowl as well as he did at Newlands, Nasser Hussain will be assured of an early breakthrough.

As far as England’s batting is concerned. Michael Vaughan has become the backbone of the line-up. However, Marcus Trescothick could also be interesting to watch since he has always enjoyed batting against India. He has not been in touch since the Ashes series, and would be desperate to get back among the runs.

The challenging tour in Australia seems to have toughened them up a fair bit, and now they are very much in the running for a berth in the super sixes in spite of forfeiting four points against Zimbabwe. England have lost their last two big games against India. What better time to avenge those losses.
Gameplan

Durban, February 25
Sachin Tendulkar looms as the biggest threat to England ahead of what promises to be a thrilling encounter at Kingsmead tomorrow.

England is hoping to win the toss and bat first rather than allow Tendulkar to dazzle in daylight and smash some more records to India’s benefit.

One of the world’s greatest one-day batsmen collected his seventh Man of the Match award in World Cup against Namibia on Sunday, his second in a row in this
competition, and is beginning to bloom at the right time as India digs deeper into the competition.

Tendulkar has 307 one-day internationals under his belt, as well as 11,867 runs and 34 centuries and has so far scores of 52, 36, 81 and 152 from his four innings in the World Cup competition. His tally of 1,480 runs in World Cup is most by any batsmen and his four centuries is also the most hit by any batsman on world’s greatest stage, along with Mark Waugh of Australia.

Tendulkar, after a lean season last year at number four when he missed 11 one-day matches on a trot and collected just two runs from three innings in New Zealand, has rediscovered his magic touch after being brought back as an opener.

It appears it would take something special to dismiss Tendulkar cheaply in Durban. He has been a rock in a team which came to the 2003 World Cup unsure of itself and which started its campaign in an extremely unconvincing fashion.
PTI

Durban, February 25
England skipper Nasser Hussain today said his team would face its first real test of this World Cup when it takes on India in a crucial league game here tomorrow.

Having registered a sensational victory against Pakistan in the previous game, England are obviously pumped up but Hussain said the match against India would be the toughest the team had come up in this tournament so far.

"We haven't been tested really," Hussain said ahead of the match whose winner would almost certainly qualify for the Super Six stage. When Sachin Tendulkar is not out on 50 and the Indian batting line-up is coming at you.... it would be the test of our character.

"The difficult games are still ahead. Its easy to talk about how Zimbabwe (boycott) brings you (players) together. But playing Holland and Namibia when its swinging around in Newlands is easy," he said.

"We had a very difficult winter but an excellent game the other day (against Pakistan). Hopefully, we take that (form) in the game against India," Hussain said.
PTI

Kimberley, February 25
New Zealand resume their World Cup campaign tomorrow against Bangladesh here after enduring an embarrassing break from action that involved a brawl in a night club.

Eight days after defeating co-hosts South Africa in Johannesburg, Stephen Fleming’s men get down to business in a mad scramble to make the Super Sixes from Group B.

Kenya’s shock win over Sri Lanka yesterday further complicated the race, leaving New Zealand to win both their remaining matches against Bangladesh and Canada to stay in contention.

“This is a very important game,” Fleming said.

“The long break has been good for us but we are leaving nothing to chance because we need to improve our run-rate besides putting four more points on the board.”

An incident in a Durban nightclub last week left all-rounder Chris Cairns with cuts and bruises to his face on the day the Kiwis were supposed to be playing Kenya in Nairobi but boycotted the game due to security concerns. Cairns is expected to be fit to play and Fleming insisted his team had got over the incident.

“Whatever happened off the field is behind us and we are focussed for our last two games,” he said, adding the win over South Africa was just the morale booster his team needed.

“We’re feeling confident and convinced that we can come out of the first round well,” said the New Zealand captain, who smashed a match-winning century against Shaun Pollock’s home team.

The Black Caps, who lost to Sri Lanka in their first game but defeated the West Indies, have relatively easier outings against the weakest teams in the group.

They must, however, hope Sri Lanka lose to both West Indies and South Africa to allow them to carry extra points in the Super Sixes. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are determined to put up a better show after losing three games while the fourth against the West Indies was washed out.
AFP

In the 1996 World Cup Sri Lanka devised the tactic of an all out onslaught when batting in the first fifteen overs. They did so to such good effect that although a few other teams copied them Sri Lanka still ultimately became world champions.

In the 1999 tournament the tactic was rarely successful on the livelier English pitches and wickets-in-hand became the catch cry for sides in that World Cup. In the 2003 tournament the first fifteen overs will again be a crucial time but don’t expect the batsmen to have matters all their own way.

The introduction of one bouncer per over law since the last World Cup has dramatically changed the equation and now fast bowlers are armed and much more dangerous in the opening stanza. How teams cope with the first fifteen overs, when batting and bowling, may well decide the eventual winner of this year’s Cup.

Currently, Australia is the team best placed to deter an onslaught and instigate one. The recent back injury to Glenn McGrath has been a blessing in disguise for Australia as Brett Lee has grown in stature since being entrusted with the enforcer role. It suits his style of bowling perfectly. He bowls fast with the new ball and unleashes some well-directed short-pitched deliveries. His bowling put the brakes on the hitherto successful opening combination of Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight and went a long way towards Australia winning the final series. Australia should continue to give Lee the new ball and relegate McGrath to first change.

Not many teams have the artillery to match Australia, with Pakistan being the nearest competitor in their group. In pool B South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies each has a bowler of genuine pace who could implement the tactic but not the depth to continually harass batsmen. The hosts may rue foregoing Mornantu Hayward’s pace for a more economic option and how the West Indies must wish for the days of their “fab four” quick bowlers.

The threat of a bouncer an over makes life a little more hazardous for opening batsmen and successful onslaughts in matches between the major nations will be rare. Nevertheless, if anybody is likely to pull off such an onslaught in a match of importance it’s the Adam Gilchrist — Matthew Hayden combination. They have the shots and the nerve to succeed occasionally and they realise the mayhem it creates for an opposing captain if they pull it off.

The West Indies probably have the nearest to that pair in Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds and importantly, like Australia they now have a solid batting line-up to follow with Brian Lara fit. That’s the critical issue with this tactic; knowing there’s a lot of class batting to come allows the openers more freedom to dominate with their stroke play.

India and England are the only other teams who have a pair of dashers at the top. However, Australia has already shown Trescothick and Knight can be frozen in their shot making by well-directed short-pitched bowling and Sourav Ganguly is particularly vulnerable to this type of bowling, so it only remains to be seen how Virender Sehwag copes. England may be better advised to split their two left handed openers and use Michael Vaughan at the top of the order as he handles the short-pitched delivery so well he discourages bowlers from using the tactic. Other teams like Sri Lanka with Sanath Jayasuriya can employ one free-swinger and to a lesser degree Pakistan has Shahid Afridi and South Africa, Herschelle Gibbs. The fact that New Zealand hasn’t really got a dasher they can use at the top of the order may eventually prove to be their undoing in their quest for a first World Cup win.

The first 15 overs will once again be an interesting time during the World Cup but unlike 1996 on this occasion it may be dangerous for batsmen not bowlers. However, like 1996 the tactics in that period may well decide who wins the trophy.
TCM

East London, February 25
The form of fast bowler Allan Donald remains South Africa’s biggest concern as they prepare for their group B game against World Cup minnows Canada on Thursday. Despite calls by Donald and his supporters that he be given as many opportunities as possible to prove himself in match conditions, the bowler was dropped from the team that beat Bangladesh at his home ground in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

But convenor of selectors Omar Henry has stated categorically that Donald will play against Canada as South Africa try to establish their best 11 ahead of the crunch showdown with Sri Lanka in Durban next Monday.

“We have to look to get him (Donald) a game,” Henry told Reuters yesterday.

“We want to play him because he is a key player. If on form, he is vital but we need to find our strongest 11 for Sri Lanka.”

Also vying for a place in that team are all-rounder Andrew Hall, who impressed with the ball against the Bangladeshis, and 20 year-old Monde Zondeki, who represents the future of South Africa’s fast bowling if not perhaps the immediate answer.

But whichever combination South Africa do field on Thursday, there is no hiding the fact that the tournament hosts are still a long way from settling on their first-choice bowling attack.

The South African squad were all given two days off to spend at home with their families following their 10-wicket crushing of Bangladesh at the weekend.

Despite Kenya’s shock win over the Sri Lanka in Nairobi on Monday, the equation for the South Africans remains unchanged — they must win their last two group matches, against Canada and Sri Lanka, if they are to qualify for the super six stage.

But Kenya’s victory has thrown the group wide open, with any three of five teams — South Africa, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Kenya — still in the running for a place in the next round. It is even possible for South Africa to finish on top of the group standings, despite their poor start to the tournament and obvious problems in deciding their strongest line-up.

But South Africa’s qualification permutations are the last thing on the minds of the tournament’s new favourite sons, Canada.

The Canadians have made friends wherever they have gone in South Africa with their relaxed and amiable demeanour away from the game and their penchant for producing the gloriously inept and the unexpectedly brilliant on the field.
Reuters

Kolkata, February 25
Soccer giants East Bengal crossed the biggest hurdle on their way to the oil-PSU National Football League
title as they defeated arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 2-1 in a nail-biting match at the Salt Lake Stadium here today.

Alvito de Cunha put East Bengal into the lead in the 11th minute of the first half. Mohun Bagan's star Brazilian striker Jose Ramiroz Barreto restored parity in the eighth minute after the breather. However, East Bengal did not have to wait lone to increase the lead and put assure their win when in the midway of the second half Mike Okoro headed home.

Mahindras win

MUMBAI: After a long hiatus, Mahindra United, Mumbai, finally tasted success cruising to a 2-0 win over fancied Dempo, Goa, at the Cooperage here.

Brazilian recruit Nei Junior gave the Mumbai side the lead off a ninth minute penalty and striker Samson Mongba completed the tally with a neat header in the 53rd minute.
UNI

New Delhi, February 25
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Raja Randhir Singh has been appointed to the important World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board by president of the Association of National Olympic Committees Mario Vazquez Rana. Randhir Singh, is also a member of the International Olympic Committee and secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Randhir Singh will take up his assignment shortly to continue his crusade against doping menace in sports. WADA will be organising a World Conference on Doping in Sports in Copenhagan (Denmark) from March 3 to 5 for the presentation and adoption of the final version of the World Anti Doping Code by the WADA Foundation Board.